JughedJones Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Hey guys, having a blast. I was wondering what folks thought about having a ship's navigator in the game. I really like the fact that we don't have a 'GPS' style map marker, I enjoy getting to a port on my own. However, I thought having a navigator that would show you approximately where you are might be cool. Perhaps upgrading the navigator would make the estimation more precise? Another thing, any thought on being able to use our scopes in open world? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akd Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 I think that if it takes up an officer slot (opportunity cost) and doesn't come silly bonuses on top (e.g. +OS speed), it could be an interesting and balanced addition, but only if it came with a bit of uncertainty in regards to your precise location. Would also be pretty cool if it only provided a position update periodically, e.g. at 12 noon, and was affected by dynamic weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterz Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I believe that something along these lines needs to be done. I would be willing to do the navigational readings myself even, instead of relying on an officer to do them. Just don't make them 100% accurate, and give us the ability to find ourselves on a chart. I brought this up in chat a day or so ago in game, and I was chastised by a few people for "not knowing how to use a compass", and "Wanting a GPS in the 18th Century." Lol. The simple truth of the matter is, is that ocean going vessels don't use, and never have used dead reckoning as a reliable navigation system. There are to many variables involved when crossing large bodies of water. Make the game fun, make it historically accurate, but give us the tools to work with to make it an immersive experience. I would go so far as to make us buy provisions to feed our crew, or suffer some sort of crew performance issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powderhorn Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Funny, I had the same thought this morning on navigators as an officer type this morning, and I hadn't even read this thread! You can see it as part of a larger officer/enlisted proposal here: http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/8000-unified-officerenlistment-crew-proposal/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMonkey Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Agreed! At the very least a " you are here " indicator on the pop-up map screen, although I'm sure I'll just keep getting totally lost at sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cesär Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 when u press F11 u can see your coordinates like in this thread posted u can see how to use with googlemaps^^ http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/5479-booyaahs-one-google-map-to-rule-them-all/ but i also find we must have this feature in game hope they do it (maybe with the option to turn it off for hardcore players lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobdelux Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Hopefully this comes. All that is needed is an circle that shows where you are, that is also optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prater Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 We don't need a point saying where we are. We need a sextant minigame that gives you an estimated position (an area instead of a point) if you have skill. We all started out not knowing anything about the map, and once you are in game for awhile, your navigation skills greatly improve. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macjimm Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Sailing in OW, viewing the seascape from the deck in first person is incredibly immersive. It is the game within the game. I like to plot a course before I leave and keep time for legs of the journey. Dead slow is about 3Kn and Slow is about 6Kn. There is about 50sec of to each hour of game time. It is simple arithmetic to figure out the distance traveled with the help of a stop watch. There is a helpful application for plotting a course that is kinda fun. LINK HERE ---> MAP It is very fun to head out on the open ocean, away from any land, where the sky is giant dome that touches the horizon all around. With a little patience and a steady course land will be seen at the far edge of sight. It's satisfying to see that the port I was heading for, is dead ahead, after days of sailing. I understand that using a Sextant, at noon, does not provide a GPS style position but only an approximate location north or south of the equator. And it would be difficult to apply in game because NA is a flat world (there is no curvature of the earth). We don't need a point saying where we are. We need a sextant minigame that gives you an estimated position (an area instead of a point) if you have skill. Because it's would be a shame to dumb the game down too much. But I could live without a sextant in the short distances in the Caribbean. It would be more important in trans oceanic travel with variable current and wind. It takes very little effort to navigate with the current tools available. I would be over the moon if we could access a compass in OW. A compass that can used to take a bearing. So one with a sight. It has to be on a keybinding toggle that can be accessed with the UI turned off. Bearing are important not only for headings but for triangulation. It would also be great to have: 2) Chronometer. 3) Spyglass. 4) National identifiers on ships (paint, flags) 5) The option remove the ingame text with Ctrl "H" (Port names, Swords, Conflict descriptions) http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/7797-add-capital-marker-to-open-world/?hl=navigate http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/7358-using-sextant-in-ow/?hl=navigate#entry138586 http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/3860-my-suggestion-on-how-to-make-basic-navigation-fun-engageing-and/?hl=navigate#entry93245 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayersand Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Totally agree with Macjimm, we need tools to navigate properly, not just a pointer saying "you are here". I think something like Silent Hunter 4 navigation map would be perfect for navigation (http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w132/crawlee/1000yards.jpg) with apropriate tools as you mentioned to find your position approximately, and with the ability to use a pencil to mark your objectives, pathlines, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriks Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 If we were to have an accurate sextant that might be interesting. But that means if you don't have a clear sky and a sharp horizon then you can't get a fix. Most people can only do a noon fix accurately. More useful would be historical coastal navigational tools such as parallel rules and a bearing compass. Also... Can we get the developers some pilot charts? http://cornellsailing.com/publications/cornells-ocean-atlas/ The islands are called the leeward islands for a reason. The reason major ports were set up where they were was mostly prevailing winds. It's great that the wind shifts but let's' make it something more accurate and interesting than a slow left shift all the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBritishGent Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 I believe that something along these lines needs to be done. I would be willing to do the navigational readings myself even, instead of relying on an officer to do them. Just don't make them 100% accurate, and give us the ability to find ourselves on a chart. I brought this up in chat a day or so ago in game, and I was chastised by a few people for "not knowing how to use a compass", and "Wanting a GPS in the 18th Century." Lol. The simple truth of the matter is, is that ocean going vessels don't use, and never have used dead reckoning as a reliable navigation system. There are to many variables involved when crossing large bodies of water. Make the game fun, make it historically accurate, but give us the tools to work with to make it an immersive experience. I would go so far as to make us buy provisions to feed our crew, or suffer some sort of crew performance issues. It would be interesting if a Celestial navigation tool would be available to early captains, then I can find my latitude and just sail around till I find land. Of course this would only be useful at night, but it adds a bit more complexity and realism to the game. For the larger ships, like birgs and ships-of-the-line, there would be an upgrade to hire a navigator. "He"(cause it would probably be an AI) would take the readings, and as an added bonus, would chart the course, so you know if you've been going off course just by looking at a map, and not doing some calculations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKPyrate Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I'm okay with the relatively easy navigation at this point, though being able to interact with your map and plot approximate positions would be nice. Using bearings of landmarks would be even better, but at this point I'd be happy for being able to take my mouse and say 'I think I'm about here', click, and have a 30nm diameter circle or the likes mark the spot and save until I log back on. Also, some sort of written log/note would be nice in case I forget where I was heading before I went on vacation, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Loe Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 You will see more and more posts about Navigation difficulty, every new player will feel the pain and only the strongest will remain. A simple dot over Nation Capital can make life easier for everyone, unfortunately developers picked 'expert difficulty' as default for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prater Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 You will see more and more posts about Navigation difficulty, every new player will feel the pain and only the strongest will remain. A simple dot over Nation Capital can make life easier for everyone, unfortunately developers picked 'expert difficulty' as default for all. If I am at Trinidad, how will having a dot over Charleston help me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKPyrate Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 You will see more and more posts about Navigation difficulty, every new player will feel the pain and only the strongest will remain. A simple dot over Nation Capital can make life easier for everyone, unfortunately developers picked 'expert difficulty' as default for all. As soon as people figure out the navigation, it's really not that hard. We don't have currents or leeway. My only problem is that for longer trips, I might need to log out en route and forget what I was up to the next time I am online. Kids do that to your brain... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gortex Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Navigating with the current set up is fine providing you can use the following 1, Map, 2, Topography of the main land and islands 3, Visibility is good 4, Use the compass 5, You don't engage an enemy and your current reckoning is not totally put out I personally find that when ever I lose site of land I have to rely on the compass alone which is chancy at best. I think the use of a noon day site (mini game) or loner reckoning and being able to plot on the charts you have would help a great deal and especially with long distance travel and or trading runs from port X to port Y on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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